Mary J. McCoy-Dressel

Tag: Finding Kimber

• Short Snippet Saturday: On the Run

  Posted at 3:25 pm by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on April 17, 2021

  

  Hey there. Happy spring. I’m still here living the life. <waving>

  It’s been a while since I’ve posted or visited my fellow bloggers, but I’ve been writing. I can happily say I finished book two in the Two-Five Ranch Outlaws series. It’s sitting now before I go back to rip it apart and cut a lot of words. I overwrote. Or maybe I didn’t. Let’s put it this way: I said what had to be said, but it’s a higher word count than I wanted, so maybe I didn’t need to say it all. I’m also 12K words into a holiday western romance. However, that has nothing to do with today’s post. 😊

  Re-cover Reveal

  Since I’ve been away from my blog, I had new covers made for four of my books. I haven’t officially revealed the other three yet, but they aren’t hard to find.

  Today I’m introducing the new re-cover for Finding Kimber, Book Two, from Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series—a spin off to the Double Dutch Ranch Series. As the title says, they’re on the run. I’ve changed two names to avoid spoilers. Kimber mentions Stormy. He’s the dog Zach gave her.

  ---

  First the Blurb

  She’s wary of her future. He’s burdened by his past.

  Zachary (Zach) Bryson arrives in Arizona with hopes of leaving the ghosts from his past behind. Hired by a stranger to run a ranch, he meets the owner—a secretive woman with no ranching experience. He’s seen her before, but she wasn’t a redhead with green eyes. In their first encounter, she swept him off his feet without their exchanging a word. Why did she change her appearance? What secrets lay behind those heart-stopping eyes? Seeing this job as a challenge, he sticks around to tackle this hottie head-on.

  Kimber Sinclair is forced to flee her lush Oregon county for a small town in Arizona with sand, saguaros, and dusty cowboys. She settles in to live a lie—to discover the person behind her new identity while she mourns the death of Tressa Garnett—her given name at birth. However, keeping a distance from her ruggedly handsome, broad-shouldered, wise-cracking ranch foreman, isn’t easy. She struggles daily to hide her secret from Zach who demands answers. By telling him the truth, his life could also be in danger.

  If trouble finds her, will she choose fight or flight? Can Zach set aside his own issues, or will his nightmares prevent him from doing what he was unknowingly hired to do?

  

  Snippet

  Thunder growled in the near distance, and heavy clouds rolled in. “Cool. Let’s get this tent put up, cowgirl.”

  She helped him unload the truck but wouldn’t let Stormy out. “Dave wanted us to get burner phones so we can’t be tracked. I haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary on my phone.”

  “Wait. What? The guy thinks your phone has a tracker on it? Rebecca could’ve done it when she visited you. He’s already called you multiple times. What if he’s in on it? Get in the truck.” Zach tossed the bags back into the bed of the truck and sped out of the campground. Hard, blowing rain came down as they pulled out. He drove away from the mountain.

  “What’s wrong? Where are we going?”

  “Away from here. If someone is tracking your phone, or his—”

  “I called his go-phone, but I get it. No camping.”

  “We are camping. While we’re heading west, call him back. Write down the immediate numbers you need from your phone, then write down Tyler’s, Randy’s, Jake’s, and my mom’s from mine. When you’re finished, turn our phones off. I want to open yours up to look for a tracker, or for whatever the hell else could’ve been used.” He stopped at a gas station and checked her phone. “Bastards. I’m deleting this hidden app. Somebody added it to your phone.”

  She was angry enough to growl like the wolves in the desert.

  He checked his own. “There’s nothing on mine. I have a better idea. I’ll download a burner app for any other calls we make. Then Dave will think we’re using a disposable phone. The app acts as a burner phone. We can pay extra for a different area code and use a Boise number like we do now.”

  Kimber sat back and sighed. Tiredness caught up with her. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. No worries. Tyler uses the app.” After taking care of the app and the new number, he continued driving until they ended up in traffic miles away.

  Now she’d made Zach suspicious of everything.

  They headed back to the campsite and unloaded. “Randy gave us a blowup bed. Looks like we have to sleep together, partner.”

  “No problem, Zach.” In this awful predicament, his words sparked a glow in her heart. She flashed him a smile and helped him make up the bed. “I’ll never be able to thank you for what you’re doing.”

  Zach glanced at the bed and winked. “My heart’s the only thing you have to thank, sweetheart. Well, maybe one other body part.”

  ---

  Here’s the entire spin off series to date. Read Finding Kimber now: Universal Buy Link for your country. Amazon Series Page.

  

  Amazon Reader Reviews for Finding Kimber

  This book has it all. Attention grabbing, many twist and turns. All the romance intertwined. I recommend this book. Enjoy!!

  This lady tells wonderful Cowboy Romance Stories…

  …I loved this book! I loved the depth of this story! It Had so many different elements included in it.

  Very different and kept me interested to the end. Very good suspense story and very different from most books I have read.

  Enjoy your weekend. Thank you for visiting.

  Posted in #AmWriting, #WritersLife, Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series | 9 Comments | Tagged Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series, Double Dutch Ranch Series Love at First Sight, Finding Kimber, Mary J McCoy-Dressel Western Romance, western romance, witness protection

• #MFRWhooks Broken

  Posted at 1:03 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on March 4, 2020

  Welcome to another Book Hooks snippet.

  Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love series #2

  A Double Dutch Ranch Series Spin off Novel.

  Finding Kimber.

  No, no. “NO. I love you all!” she shouted out to a closed window. “I’ll miss you…” Tressa scooted over and held her hand up to the dark window. She sobbed in painful gulps. What she saw out the window was like watching a movie play out before her eyes. A movie with a sad, sad ending.

  From here, they’d leave Oregon and go to Boise, Idaho to have her mole removed, change her hair color, and wait for the credentials with her new name of Kimber Kay Sinclair. Then, it’d be onward to Arizona. “It’s time to go,” Melinda said to the driver.

  “No, not yet,” cried Tressa.

  He drove away. She couldn’t remove her eyes from what they left behind. Firetrucks passed them by. Jerry would meet them later. Never in her life had she known he had connections to do such a feat. But being a retiree from law enforcement, he pulled the right strings to set up her death—to protect her and her family—all under the table and for a large fee to some of the connections he’d made throughout his career.

  To the world, Tressa Garnett had died in a revenge killing. Sam would have no reason to search for her now. Jerry had vowed to take care of her from the day he had become her godfather. He had promised to protect her. To keep her safe. And he had. She, on the other hand, would never see her family again and would remain broken for the rest of her life.

  ---

  

  Cattleman Zachary (Zach) Bryson arrives in Arizona with hopes of leaving the ghosts from his past behind. Hired by a stranger to run a ranch, he meets the owner—a secretive woman with no ranching experience. He’s seen her before, but she wasn’t a redhead with green eyes. In their first encounter, she swept him off his feet without their exchanging a word. Why did she change her appearance? What secrets lay behind those heart-stopping eyes? Seeing this job as a challenge, he sticks around to tackle this hottie head-on.

  After her life is threatened, Kimber Sinclair is forced to flee her lush Oregon county for a small town in Arizona with sand, saguaros, and dusty cowboys. She settles in to live a lie—to discover the person behind her new identity while she mourns the death of Tressa Garnett—her given name at birth. However, keeping a distance from her ruggedly handsome, broad-shouldered, wise-cracking ranch foreman, isn’t easy. She struggles daily to hide her secret from Zach who demands answers. By telling him the truth, his life could also be in danger.

  If trouble finds her, will she choose fight or flight? Can Zach set aside his own issues, or will his nightmares prevent him from doing what he was unknowingly hired to do?

  Universal Buy Link

  ---

  

  #MFRWhooks

  Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It’s a chance each week to hook readers on your current WIP or any previously published book.

  Come along! Check out participating Book Hooks authors at this LINK.

  Posted in #MFRWauthor, #MFRWhooks, Book Hooks | 16 Comments | Tagged #AmWriting, #MFRWauthor, #MFRWhooks, Book Hooks, Broken, Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series, Double Dutch Ranch: Love at First Sight, Finding Kimber, Marketing for Romance Writers, mary j mccoy dressel

• Short Snippet Saturday Oops Redo: Hooked by Sundown

  Posted at 6:32 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on November 3, 2019

  

  Sorry for the snafu with the last Hooked by Sundown post. At least I didn’t lose it like I lost another draft. Anyway, this ISN’T the post that went out yesterday on the official Short Snippet Saturday correct day. I haven’t mentioned Wade and Sophie much since their book had been released.

  Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series

  A Double Dutch Ranch Series Spin Off

  Hooked by Sundown

  

  Snippet is self-explanatory without the need for a set-up.

  ---

  Excerpt/ Snippet:

  Wade finished breakfast in his room, poured a cup of coffee, then opened the balcony door one last time to sniff the air and enjoy the cool breeze. Hell, he didn’t have to leave here. His thoughts went to sitting with Sophie and her boy last night. She was nice enough, sort of, and damn pretty. Emmett’s physical characteristics resembled Wade’s with brown eyes and the same thick hair like his but a shade lighter from the sun.

  Curiosity about her life filled his musings. He’d come to California only to meet a woman from home? Interesting. His flight left Saturday, if what the nurses said about his brother came true. In his mind he made a pact with himself. If they were on the same plane heading home, he’d search her out in baggage claim in Phoenix to pursue a date.

  “Get in here.”

  Wade glanced toward her voice. “Mornin’.” With her hand holding her son’s arm, she turned toward him and smiled. Wow, what an attractive morning smile. Better than what he’d seen on her face when he’d left them last night.

  “Good morning, Mr. Emory—”

  He corrected her, “Wade.”

  “Are you getting ready to leave?”

  “Yep, one last cup of coffee.” He raised it to her. Leaving this extravagant place wasn’t a necessity. It wasn’t like he couldn’t afford it, but this place wasn’t him. He didn’t need a thick robe to don after getting out of the shower or fancy sheets on the bed with a piece of chocolate on his pillow each night, though the chocolate tasted special.

  She told Emmett to go inside. “Can I talk to you?”

  He nodded then entered his room without hesitation. Wade changed out of running shorts and pulled on jeans. Before he had time to get a shirt to go into the hall, he answered the knock at his door. She and Emmett stood there. He held the door open, sweeping his hand forward.

  Her gaze glued to his chest first off. “No, I don’t want to come in. Y-you didn’t tell me where you were staying.”

  Was he supposed to? “Just a minute.” He nearly jumped up and clicked his heels together. Instead, he pulled on a t-shirt and wrote down the hotel name. “We still watching the sunset tonight?” Damn, how manly had that sounded?

  “Yeah, if you come.”

  “Sounds like a date…I mean, not a date, but a plan. Sorry.” He couldn’t win for losing.

  She gave a shy smile he hadn’t seen before though she’d seemed direct and not shy last night. “I know what you mean.”

  Wade handed her the slip of paper with the name of where he’d be staying. He was surprised and glad she wanted to know. “In case you need anything, do you want my phone number?” He didn’t retract his gaze. Neither did she. Say yes.

  She handed her phone over, and he took no less than a few seconds to enter his number. “Here you go. Well, I better get outta here. Hey, Emmett, don’t forget the cups for your sand castle tonight.”

  The kid had a cute smile like his mom. “I won’t. Mom? Don’t forget.”

  “It’s your responsibility, boy.” She brushed his sun-streaked, brown hair from his forehead then glanced at Wade. “See you later.”

  “Do you swim?” He asked without a thought.

  “Yeah, but I don’t like Emmett to swim in the ocean. Rip currents, you know. We’ll go to the pool later.”

  “All right. I thought it might be a nice night for a swim.” In man speak, he’d like to see Sophie in a bikini.

  “Have fun if you do. We don’t mind watching.”

  He nodded and closed the door. Wade checked the bedroom again, washed the cup, and sat it on the counter to dry. In a way, he hated leaving this nice place, but the other place was four-star, too, however not on the ocean and with no fluffy robes. Maybe he’d have a whiff of the salty air. Admittedly, he missed the dry, baked smell of the desert.

  End of excerpt.

  Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series

  A Double Dutch Ranch Series Spin Off Novel

  HOOKED BY SUNDOWN

  Universal Link:

  Available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Apple Books.

  ---

  If you’re in a participating state, don’t forget to turn back your clocks if you haven’t. Ugh, do we have to? I don’t like when it gets dark so early.

  Enjoy your weekend.

  Posted in #AmWriting, Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series | 7 Comments | Tagged #AmWriting, Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series, Finding Kimber, Hooked by Sundown, mary j mccoy dressel, Short Snippet Saturday, Short Snippet Saturday Redo: Hooked by Sundown, western romance, Whispers of Forever: Mending Christmas

• Short Snippet Saturday: Hello?

  Posted at 11:14 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on July 20, 2019

  

  Howdy! It’s a record-breaking heat wave where I am along with much of the country.  🔥  We’re used to heat but not this high. Stay cool! I don’t remember if I ever experienced 107 degree temps before, but once while visiting Sacramento, CA, it was 104. I noticed! We had a storm roll through last night and many are out of power. They need prayers to get it connected. Another one is expected today. Recently I told my oldest who lives in California that I’d probably move there in a couple years. I guess Mother Nature is breaking me in and preparing me for the summer temps.

  THIS MONTH, I’m featuring Whispers of Forever: Mending Christmas, a Second Chance Romance—the first book in the Spin Off to the Double Dutch Ranch Series: Love at First Sight. Wow, a featured book I haven’t mentioned yet this month. Shame on me. Bad blogger!

  I’ll change that today.

  It isn’t necessary to save Whispers of Forever for Christmastime reading because it doesn’t only revolve around the holiday. It revolves around two people and a young boy getting a second chance.

  I love this book, but where did I get the idea?

  Simple answer. From a song that interrupted that “almost asleep” stage. I grabbed my phone and jotted down the idea, but once I started writing, it went in a different direction.

  Who doesn’t deserve a second chance?

  Beth and Jake do. Especially when it should’ve been them all along. Against their will, they had been ripped apart from each other. Thirteen years later, Beth moves back to Canyon Junction, our small-town setting. Jake never left, except for those few years after Beth moved—the times he doesn’t like to remember—the times when he attempted to drown himself in a bottle or kill himself as a reckless cowboy with a passion for saddle bronc riding.

  The snippet doesn’t feature Beth, but in the book, by now, they had unexpectedly come face-to-face since she had returned. This short piece deals with Jake and his child.

  Short Snippet:

  After feeding and watering their horses, they came in from the barn. Trace got a bath. Then Jake took a shower while his boy ate ice cream in front of the TV. He stood at the mirror in the small bathroom downstairs about to put shaving cream on his face.

  A shattering scream ripped from Trace’s throat, “Daddy! Daddy? Dad…”

  What the hell? Jake dropped his razor and rushed into the living room. “What’s the matter? Why are you watching the news, bud?” He glanced at the screen. Breaking News. “What happened?”

  Trace stood in front of the TV pointing. He didn’t say anything more, but his chin dimpled and quivered.

  Jake’s feet had been knocked out from under him, and he dropped to the sofa. Blood drained from his face, and it all dropped to his feet. His head spun, and he was unable to believe what he saw. Oh, my God. “Come here, T.J.” He reached out to bring him close, to hold him, to embrace him.

  “A plane crash. Is it Austin’s plane?” he asked, close to hysteria. “It is his! Dad?” He read out loud, “Piper PA32,” as information scrolled across the bottom of the report. Trace turned toward his dad, his face wet with tears, his body trembling.

  “Here, let’s change the channel.” Jake’s phone rang before he got the remote. He lost all focus, but his gaze couldn’t leave the TV screen. What was left of the plane looked like the one in the picture he had held in his hand earlier, and he let the phone ring.

  Trace answered before Jake could grab it, “Mommy, is it you?” He held the phone out to his dad with a terrified blankness in his eyes. “Grandpa Bill wants to talk to you.”

  Jake took the phone. Everything moved in slow motion from that point on. “Hello…”

  End of excerpt.

  Sorry for the cliffhanger ending here.  😁  You’ll never find a cliffhanger ending at the end of one of my books.

  ---

  Description

  What can stand in their way this time?

  Second Chance Romance

  Rancher Jake Lawton never expects to become a single dad to his nine-year-old overnight. However, one last malicious act his wife had done before leaving them, could affect both he and his son’s lives. By chance, he runs into his high school sweetheart, never expecting the same old yearnings to return with one “How are ya?” embrace. Has their unanticipated meeting arrived at the perfect time, or has years apart put an end to what should’ve been years ago?

  Beth Marconi arrives home to help care for her ailing father. In town, she inadvertently runs into her first love—the cowboy she nearly married after graduation. Sparks ignite before they say hello, but how do they start over when life has left them so bruised? When her ex comes to town, she’s forced to explain the secret surrounding her short-lived marriage. Is Jake the kind of man who will understand, or will he revert to the hell-raiser he had become when Beth left thirteen years ago?

  Filled with both anguish and hope, a young boy and two lonely hearts pursue a second chance.

  Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series

  A Double Dutch Ranch Series Spin off novel.

  Check out this book and the other spin off series books HERE.

  Thank you for visiting!

   

  Posted in #AmWriting, Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series, Short Snippet Saturday | 10 Comments | Tagged Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series, Double Dutch Ranch Series Love at First Sight, Finding Kimber, Hooked by Sundown, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Second Chance Romance, Short Snippet Saturday: Hello?, western romance, Whispers of Forever: Mending Christmas

• Meet the Heroine: Secretive Kimber Sinclair

  Posted at 9:07 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on June 15, 2019

  

  Meet the Heroines

  A Mini Blog Series

  Tressa Garnett/Kimber Sinclair

  Finding Kimber #2

  Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series

  A Double Dutch Ranch Spin off Series

  

  Kimber lives with a secret.

  Tressa Garnett’s secret began the night she’d intended on turning in her criminal boyfriend to the cops. She’s college educated and an intelligent woman, but she never saw his betrayal coming.

  Her plan backfired. His succeeded.

  Now, because of him, she has an image behind her eyes she’ll never forget.

  The event that night, took her away from everything and everyone she loved.

  Due to this betrayal, Tressa Garnett changed her identity and her appearance in order to survive and make a new life as Kimber Kay Sinclair.

  Kimber had been employed as a traveling credit union auditor, so she was used to rules. However, her new words to live by are: Tell no one. Trust no one. Follow the rules, follow the rules, follow the damn rules and you’ll survive!

  Swept away from Oregon to a rundown ranch in a small town in Arizona, she’s starting over. The only thing making her life bearable is two horses that remained with the ranch, and the quaint little adobe home on the property.

  Zach Bryson, the ranch foreman hired to help her, and show her the ropes, so to speak, is nothing more than a hot-headed smartass too handsome for his own good…and too nosy for her liking.

  Coming in contact with Zach before her identity change, makes keeping her secrets twice as hard.

  Uncomfortable around him, she watches each step she takes, each word, to prevent from triggering his memory of her. Except for that one time…

  She lives in fear of being found out, but she’s a fighter. Her life depends on her not being a quitter.

  
  

  She’s friendly but careful.

  Tressa loathes living a lie.

  She tries to find Kimber and forces Tressa out of her life.

  Kimber wants to be a mom and have her own family one day.

  She misses her parents and younger sister so badly and sometimes wants to throw her hands up at this new life and return to them.

  Kimber fears anyone she befriends will also become a target if she is found out, so she keeps a tall wall around herself.

  However, soon after, and doing her best to acclimate to this new life, the Carlson family from the Double Dutch Ranch befriend her. Kimber’s leery and untrusting at first though she’s willing to give friendship a try.

  Against her will, she envies their happy family when she is so alone.

  As if she didn’t have enough problems, she finds it hard to resist Zach’s cocky charm. She doesn’t know if she can ever trust a man again–especially when her ruggedly handsome foreman keeps digging for answers. Not to mention, his shoulders are damn strong and desirously comforting.

  Kimber wakes each day with one question. Will this be the day she gets a bullet in her head.

  Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series #2

  A Double Dutch Ranch Series Spin Off Novel.

  Universal Buy Link

  
  
  

  ---

  Meet our other heroines by clicking this link.

  Posted in #AmWriting, #WritersLife, Meet Our Heroines | 2 Comments | Tagged Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series, Contemporary #western romance series, Double Dutch Ranch Series Love at First Sight, Double Dutch Ranch Series Spin Off Novel, Finding Kimber, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, western romance, Witness Protection romance

• Western Romance Spin Off Series Book 3~ Hooked by Sundown #CoverReveal!

  Posted at 8:53 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on September 26, 2018

  

  Howdy. I won’t dilly-dally here today. Why not start with something I’ve been talking about for too long now? Ha-ha. A Cover Reveal. How about that! By the way, this is the week Hooked by Sundown will be released. I’m excited!

  ---

  So, without further delay, I’m proud to introduce you to Wade (swoon-worthy) Emory and Sophie Price-Daniels.  ❤  You’ve met Sophie’s son Emmett in snippets throughout the past few months.

  Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series #3

  A Double Dutch Ranch Spin Off Series

  Cover Reveal

  

  Hooked by Sundown

  Blurb

  Wade Emory falls fast for women, yet it’s a well-known fact his relationships don’t last. On a trip to the Pacific Coast to visit his ill brother, he slips into his bad habit when he meets a hotheaded mom with a son who spews four-letter words. However, after enjoying nearly a week with them, she and the boy leave early. Before she’s gone forever, he convinces her to meet up again to pick up where they left off on the beach. Then, at home, an unexpected visitor pops in, and he learns the past harbors secrets and lies that don’t always stay hidden. Life’s lessons have taught him that people don’t stick around, so how can he prevent a relationship with Sophie from becoming another failure?

  Sophie Price-Daniels needs a change of scenery. The opportunity arises when she flies to California to bail her trouble-making brother out of jail. When he directs his anger at her and her boy, a stranger steps in, but a hero is the last thing she wants. She’s alone and living in her self-appointed prison of grief, until…until she peers into his warm yet saddened eyes. As desires long forgotten force their way to the surface, she’s faced with a dilemma—to give in to her needs and accept a new future is possible for her and her son—or back away and continue to believe she’s betraying a man who is no longer with them.

  Two lonely people need to trust each other—and themselves—to overcome their unfortunate pasts.

   

  Also in this series:

  

   

  Check out the series where it all began:

  Double Dutch Ranch Series: Love at First Sight

  ---

  This is one of my favorite covers to date. Hooked by Sundown turned out to be another of my favorite books, as well. Giving this secondary character in the series a book was the right choice. I knew he had a story lurking inside. Poor guy.

  

  ---

  Thanks to:

  My talented cover designer, Dawnè Dominique at DuskTilDawn Designs, for creating more than a dozen covers for me. When she sent me the first draft for Hooked by Sundown, I accepted it with no changes to be made. She has a way of getting into my head and seeing my vision, but with her artistic eye to keep me focused. You know you’ve met the perfect team member when this happens. You have no idea, and I’ll never tell, all the special things she did to create certain aspects of this cover.

  Thanks to the male cover model, Mathias, for bringing Wade to life. As soon as I saw him, I knew he was the same Wade I had in my head. I swear, he walked out of my head and into the door at Period Images. VJ Dunraven sure knows how to capture a moment with her camera.

  Dreamstime Images.

  Thanks so much for coming around today to join me in showing off my newest cover to the world. I’ll return with links when the book is available.

  Enjoy the rest of your week!

  
  

  Posted in #AmWriting, #WritersLife, Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series, Cover Reveal, New Release | 10 Comments | Tagged #CoverReveal, #NewRelease, Alpha hero, amazon, Apple, Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series, Close-knit families, Cover Reveal, cowboy, Double Dutch Ranch Series Love at First Sight, Dreamstime, Finding Kimber, grieving heroine, Hooked by Sundown, iBooks, iTunes, Kobo, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, New Release, Nook, Pacific Coast, Period Images, small town, spin off series, Spin Off Series Book Three~ Hooked by Sundown #CoverReveal, Walmart eBooks, western romance, Whispers of Forever

• #AmWriting Short Snippet Saturday: No More Lies

  Posted at 11:56 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on June 23, 2018

  I thought I’d share a snippet from Finding Kimber.

  Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series

  A Double Dutch Ranch Series Spin Off novel.

  

  She’s wary of her future. He’s burdened by his past.

  Cattleman Zachary (Zach) Bryson arrives in Arizona with hopes of leaving the ghosts from his past behind. Hired by a stranger to run a ranch, he meets the owner—a secretive woman with no ranching experience. He’s seen her before, but she wasn’t a redhead with green eyes. In their first encounter, she swept him off his feet without their exchanging a word. Why did she change her appearance? What secrets lay behind those heart-stopping eyes? Seeing this job as a challenge, he sticks around to tackle this hottie head-on.

  After her life is threatened, Kimber Sinclair is forced to flee her lush Oregon county for a small town in Arizona with sand, saguaros, and dusty cowboys. She settles in to live a lie—to discover the person behind her new identity while she mourns the death of Tressa Garnett—her given name at birth. However, keeping a distance from her ruggedly handsome, broad-shouldered, wise-cracking ranch foreman, isn’t easy. She struggles daily to hide her secret from Zach who demands answers. By telling him the truth, his life could also be in danger.

  If trouble finds her, will she choose fight or flight? Can Zach set aside his own issues, or will his nightmares prevent him from doing what he was unknowingly hired to do?

  Universal Buy Link

  ---

  Set up: Kimber is doing something she swore never to do… Modified to avoid spoilers:

  Her breath caught. “What the hell did you say?” Greg repeated it.

  “What does that mean? How?” Her heart hit the floorboard of the truck. This couldn’t have been Jerry’s doings. Who else was involved?

  “He was stabbed multiple times. They’ll transfer him to their local hospital.”

  “How do you know? Who did this?”

  “It doesn’t matter how I know.”

  “It matters. His men or woman, is still out there looking for me. There is no guarantee they’d stop looking if he…dies. I’m sure they’re all doing this for Sam now.”

  Zach whipped his head around so fast, she thought it’d roll off. She nodded to him, that in fact, he had heard her right. “I’ll get the phone you mentioned.”

  “Stay out of sight.” He paused. “Ah, Tressa, there’s something I have to tell you. Your father is on the way here.”

  “My father will be there?” Her fingers instinctively clasped her necklace, and she pictured her gentle dad.

  Zach pulled into the campground and drove around looking for their site. He stopped the truck and took her hand when he found the spot.

  Greg spoke low into the phone. “I have to go.”

  “Greg, wait. When my dad arrives, make sure they’re both safe. Please.”

  “Jerry is under guard; therefore, your father will be, too.” He hung up.

  Zach faced her, and his eyes held questions she’d become accustomed to. “Your father? Your family isn’t dead?”

  Here we go again. No more lies.

  ---

  Thanks for reading. Enjoy your weekend.

  Posted in #AmWriting, Short Snippet Saturday | 5 Comments | Tagged Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series, Double Dutch Ranch Series Spin Off, Finding Kimber, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Short Snippet Saturday: No More Lies, western romance, witness protection

• Snippet: Finding Kimber: An Unexpected Encounter

  Posted at 1:10 pm by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on February 25, 2018

  

  For this excerpt, Kimber meets her dog for the first time. It doesn’t sound like an interesting excerpt to read about Kimber meeting her dog, but there’s more going on here, especially after what happened earlier in this scene. Now, after this second revelation, she’ll have some explaining to do in the near future. It isn’t an explanation she ever wanted to give to anyone. Picture Kimber leaving the barn after turning out the horses this early morning. She hadn’t expected to see Zach standing there, and especially hadn’t expected to meet his brother for the first time. She’s standing in a knee-length cotton robe with a thin gown underneath. Introductions happened earlier in the scene. The guys are getting ready to leave.

  ---

  She’s wary of her future. He’s burdened by his past.

  Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series

  A Double Dutch Ranch Spin Off Series.

  

  #2

  At that moment, a dog whined. Kimber widened her eyes. “I didn’t know you had a dog, Zach. Tyler?”

  “We don’t here in Arizona.” Zach headed to his truck. He opened the door and brought out a mid-size, long-haired dog. “You do.” He plopped the dog into her arms.

  Tyler chuckled. “I found her on the road between here and Boulder City. The poor girl has no tags, and she looks like she’s been neglected. My mama would whoop my behind if I left her there. I took a picture and left my phone number at the nearest rest stop.”

  “But—”

  Zach cut in, “You said you were lonely at night. Now you don’t have to be. I can’t keep her in the loft all day while I’m working, and she didn’t take kindly to Jake’s dog, Kasha.”

  “You’re giving her to me?” Kimber’s gaze followed Tyler out the back door and down toward the fence where she took the horses.

  “Maybe. You’re not allergic to dogs, are you? If it isn’t a problem, can you keep her here for me? It’s better for her here than locked up in the loft.”

  Kimber put her down before dropping her. She tickled the dog under her white chin. “She’s so cute, but she needs a bath and a good brushing. Have you named her?” She kept one hand on her in case she bolted. “You could bring her here daily with you, but I’ll keep her here. I hope she likes horses.”

  “She acted like they were no big deal over at Jake’s. I haven’t named her.” He called Tyler to leave. “Naming is your job, Red.”

  The dog rolled over, and Kimber patted her gray belly. “I can’t tell what she is. Part border collie? But the gray—”

  The pooch got up and shook sand from her stormy gray and white coat. “Looks a little like one. We have a couple on the ranch. She’s mixed though.”

  

  Character portrayal. Kimber’s dog Stormy in Finding Kimber.

  “I’ll have a name for her by time I see you for dinner tonight. Do either you or Tyler have any food allergies?” She got a dumbfounded look from Zach.

  “The reason I ask is because I’m allergic to turmeric. Weird, I know. I don’t know anyone else allergic to it. It can be a problem, but I carry an auto-injector with me.”

  Zach blinked. His Adams apple got stuck trying to swallow, it seemed. He chewed at a corner of his bottom lip, snapped his fingers and pointed at her. Then he closed his hand, bringing it to his chest.

  She repeated, “Do you or Tyler have food allergies?”

  He cleared his throat, came closer then lowered his gaze to her lips. His eyes flicked back to hers. Usually, his dreamy orbs sparkled in the sunlight, but not now. They darkened like grass in an oil spill. Tyler headed toward them.

  “Zach?” She asked again, nervous now due to his menacing glare, and she wished to be somewhere else. On the other side of the planet would work. Had he figured it out?

  “Uh uh.” Zach crouched and lifted the dog, squeezing her in a gentle hug.

  She looked small in Zach’s strong arms. Kimber stroked her fur, but Zach fell back a step. “Thank you for this. I’ll take good care of her for you.”

  His voice changed to a somber tone. “There might be something in the tack room to tie around her neck and a rope to keep her from running off until she gets to know you.”

  “I hope she’s housebroken.”

  “I’m positive she is.” Zach carried the dog with him. He glanced back at her with a frown, then he and Tyler entered the tack room.

  Kimber trembled as he walked away. She folded her arms, squeezing them. Something happened. A wrinkle interrupted their… Their what? Their working relationship that finally worked for a short time? The fact he was kind to the dog said something about him, but his instant melancholy veneer said the opposite.

  She rushed to her bedroom to dress for the day. She’d love to have a new dress to wear tonight, but now dinner was the last thing she wanted. Tonight, she wanted to be alone, but dammit, she’d blurted out the invitation. She couldn’t back out. This business meeting was her future. Hurriedly, she put in her contacts so he didn’t have to stare at her blue eyes any longer when he brought the dog up to the house.

  

  My dog Kasha is on the cover of Whispers of Forever. I suppose the other books in this series will have to have a dog, too.  🙂  ❤

  If you made it this far, thanks for reading.

  Posted in #AmWriting, Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series | 4 Comments | Tagged #Cowboy series, #WhatToRead, Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series, dogs, Dogs in books, Finding Kimber, full-length novel, mary j mccoy dressel, Romance, series romance, Snippet, Snippet: Finding Kimber: An Unexpected Encounter, western romance

• (Not) Short Snippet Saturday: No Need to Call Me Ma’am

  Posted at 12:31 pm by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on December 6, 2017

  

  Waving hello! I hope you aren’t sick of me posting excerpts of late because I’m including one here for Finding Kimber. Earlier this year I had backed away from posting many Short Snippet Saturday posts. I haven’t scheduled promo for this new release like I have in the past other than social media and a sidebar cover promotion here and there. I guess we’ll consider this a promo post.  🙂  Sorry if I bore you to death.

  Note: Last week I participated in the Second Change Romance Promo and Book Cover Poll at Storyfinds. My book cover for Whispers of Forever: Mending Christmas, won. Thanks to those of you who voted.

  For newcomers, Whispers of Forever is the first book in the Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series. (A Double Dutch Ranch Spin Off Series.) The following excerpt is from the second book in the series. Three is now available too.

  

  All right, that’s enough blabbing for now. Let’s get to the excerpt.

  ---

  In the release announcement, you met Tressa Garnett in the opening scene of Finding Kimber.  Let’s see how she deals with life on a ranch, and Zach, in her new identity:

  —

  “Canyon Junction?”

  “Ah, yeah. This is Canyon Junction. Arizona?” His eyes questioned for a moment, but he nodded toward the road again. “The store will be on your left off the highway. You’ll eventually find other places to shop.” He glanced at her vehicle. “Use GPS. Give me your phone. I’m fairly new here by the standards of this town. I was forced to find my way around.”

  “I’m a city girl. I’ll make my way.” She pulled her phone from her jeans pocket and handed it to her bossy foreman. No one told her she lived in Canyon Junction. She reflected on the name of the newspaper—Canyon Junction Gazette. Oh, boy.

  “I’m entering my phone number along with the name of the store. You’ll find it.” He handed it back. Glistening white teeth gave way to an inviting smile.

  “Thank you.” She read what he had written. “Assuming my vehicle has GPS.”

  “You don’t know if your vehicle has GPS?” Now he looked at her as if she were an idiot, which frustrated her.

  She rubbed at her arms. “It was delivered this morning. I haven’t looked inside yet.”

  “Lucky girl.”

  She left his side and hurried down the drive ahead of him. I’m a woman not a girl. And she didn’t feel lucky to have lost everything she ever owned and loved. Her new beginning brought a mouthy ranch hottie with an attitude. She glanced back, and he still stared at her. It made her want to growl out a few four-letter words at him. In fact, she might before the day ended.

  Back inside the house she got her keys, but when she came out, he was nowhere to be seen. Good. Kimber started the SUV and perused the dash, taking in the new car smell. Indeed, the vehicle had everything—more than her vehicle at home had. She’d set it before leaving, and she’d also check maps for the Double Dutch Ranch. Nothing would keep her away from the Equine Camp taking place there.

  Zach strutted up to her when she got out, his demeanor full of confidence. “Could I ask you something, ma’am?”

  “Certainly, but you don’t have to call me ma’am.”

  He tapped the brim of his hat. “Sorry, I’ll try to remember, Ms. Sinclair.”

  Kimber scratched at her arms, a habit she had when frustrated. She hadn’t wanted to be. Too much had happened in a short time, and her fuse shortened by the moment. “What did you want to ask?”

  His chest rose in a sigh, which she took for frustration of his own. “What do you plan on doing with this place? You have two horses. That’s barely enough to keep a foreman around. I want something steady.”

  “Well—”

  “And by the way. If I’m a foreman, who the hell am I a foreman to? There’s nobody here but you and me.”

  “I don’t have an answer to either of your questions.” She knew nothing that was going on here and didn’t like being out of control like this. “Maybe I’ll start a rescue, but I haven’t given it much thought. I need time here. I know I have only two horses.”

  “A rescue ranch has already been done. A rancher at the Double Dutch started a horse rescue some years ago. Does good for him from what I hear. Hard to believe how many horses need rescuing so they don’t get slaughtered.”

  “Ooh, that’s awful. Well, can’t we have two in this town?”

  “Do you know how big this town is? No, probably not since you don’t even know what town you live in.”

  Son of a bitching smart ass. Kimber fisted her hands at her sides. His rock-solid chest in that blue t-shirt looked like something good to pound. She peered into his blazing green eyes, then nodded toward the barn. “I’ll be back when I finish shopping. I’m sure something around here needs worked on. The barn needs fresh paint. The interior could use some repair, including the inside of my house. I’ll let you know when lunch is ready.” She tromped back toward the house.

  “Don’t bother.”

  So, this is how it’ll be? Damn hardheaded Idaho cowboy.

  ---

  

  ---

  Thanks for reading. Have a wonderful Wednesday. See you on Friday with a new 52-Week Blog Challenge theme. It’s already written.  ❤  I’m ahead of the game this week.

   

  Posted in #AmWriting, Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series, Excerpt | 3 Comments | Tagged #WritersLife, Book Cover Poll, Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series, cowboy, cowpuncher, Double Dutch Ranch: Love at First Sight, Finding Kimber, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Second Chance Romance, StoryFinds, western romance, Whispers of Forever: Mending Christmas

• Cover Reveal and New Release Announcement

  Posted at 10:52 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on November 22, 2017

  I’m proud to present to you:

  Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series, #2
  A Double Dutch Ranch Series Spin Off

  FINDING KIMBER

  

  About the Book:

  She’s wary of her future. He’s burdened by his past.

  Cattleman Zachary (Zach) Bryson arrives in Arizona with hopes of leaving the ghosts from his past behind. Hired by a stranger to run a ranch, he meets the owner—a secretive woman with no ranching experience. He’s seen her before, but she wasn’t a redhead with green eyes. In their first encounter, she swept him off his feet without their exchanging a word. Why did she change her appearance? What secrets lay behind those heart-stopping eyes? Seeing this job as a challenge, he sticks around to tackle this hottie head-on.

  Kimber Sinclair is forced to flee her lush Oregon county for a small town in Arizona with sand, saguaros, and dusty cowboys. She settles in to live a lie—to discover the person behind her new identity while she mourns the death of Tressa Garnett—her given name at birth. However, keeping a distance from her ruggedly handsome, broad-shouldered, wise-cracking ranch foreman, isn’t easy. She struggles daily to hide her secret from Zach who demands answers. By telling him the truth, his life could also be in danger.

  If trouble finds her, will she choose fight or flight? Can Zach set aside his own issues, or will his nightmares prevent him from doing what he was unknowingly hired to do?

  ---

  Note: Zach made his first appearance in Lassoing the Last Dance as Randy Drake’s best friend.

  ---

  Buy Links

  Amazon  |  Kobo  |  Nook  |  Apple

  Universal Link for your country.

  Add on Goodreads

  

  Here’s the series so far.

  
  

  ---

  If you’re a newsletter subscriber, this post looks familiar because it’s similar to the recent newsletter you received, minus the excerpt.

  ---

  Some of Chapter One:

  Regardless of her determination not to cry, tears trailed down Tressa Garnett’s cheeks. Greg Stone, the prosecuting attorney, continued to badger her on the witness stand. Wasn’t he on her side? Her ordeal played over like a documentary film. She had become Sam’s lover. Yes, she worked on and off with him for three years. She hesitated at the next question.

  “Ms. Garnett, you must answer.”

  She glanced at the judge who nodded and swept his hand through the air for her to get on with her answer.

  Greg asked again, “And is it correct you oversaw the money exchange between Mr. Cavalli and Samuel Allen?”

  “Yes.” Her gaze flicked to Sam. His glare gave threats his voice hadn’t. The smirk on his face matched the one he wore when he shoved the revolver into her hand after he shot and killed Pino Cavalli. From this day forward her life would change forever. She might as well walk out of the courtroom and grab a shovel if things didn’t go to plan. To plan? Her disappearance was the plan.

  Tressa peered at the salt-and-pepper-haired man sitting two rows from the back of the courtroom. Her godfather, Jerry Waterford, had become her lifeline. Could her heart take the agony of losing her family when she disappeared without a trace with a new name and identity? She choked back tears. Jerry gave a subtle nod.

  Now, the tissues in her hand matched her torn emotions. Her life hung in a balance somewhere in the middle of living and dying.

  Greg tapped on the railing around the witness stand. His eyes softened. “And were you in the warehouse when Mr. Cavalli was shot?”

  A bullet to Pino’s head had taken his life instantly. Her gaze moved to the two men behind Sam. If she said yes, would they be the ones to hunt her down?

  “Ms. Garnett, I must remind you that you’re under oath and need to answer the question. Were you in the warehouse—”

  “I heard you. Yes.” If Greg Stone said those words one more time, she might claw his eyes out. He picked up a handgun in a clear evidence bag. Yesterday he seemed like a friendly middle-aged man, and her way out of this hellish situation, but today while bullying her on the stand, he reminded her of an ogre.

  His gaze settled upon her. “Your fingerprints are on this weapon along with Mr. Allen’s. Tell us how your fingerprints got on this weapon.”

  She pointed at Sam. “Him. He stuck the revolver into my hand after he shot Mr. Cavalli.” She took a deep breath and slowly released air through barely parted lips as the defense attorney protested. “Let the record show Ms. Garnett pointed to Samuel Allen.” Greg paced across the room and back to the witness stand.

  Tressa breathed deeply. She wanted to pass out and when she came to, she’d learn it’d all been a dream. She focused on the prosecuting attorney, afraid if she glanced at Sam his glare might somehow cause her to explode.

  “Who shot Mr. Cavalli?” asked Greg Stone.

  God, can this be over? Sam had told Pino’s men he gave the money to her accomplice, further blaming the extortion on her. Now she had two enemies. She had no damn accomplice. All she did was learn the truth. Without hesitation or remorse, she pointed to Sam. “Mr. Allen.” The two men behind him both shifted in their seats, and Sam looked over his shoulder.

  The courtroom broke out into an uproar while the judge beat the gavel at least ten times, or maybe it was three. She covered her ears to ward off the noise. Tressa lowered her eyes to her lap while tears left stains on her navy-blue silk blouse.

  “Thank you, Ms. Garnett.”

  Her gaze settled on Melinda Richards who sat next to her godfather. She left the courtroom.

  The judge pounded the gavel one more time. “Are there any other questions?” He directed his gaze to the defense attorney who gave no rebuttal, nor did he cross-examine her. The judge gave her permission to return to her seat. Upon sitting, her mom leaned over her dad to pat her hand.

  ***

  After court, Jerry and two sheriff’s deputies swept Tressa out of the courtroom to a conference room to wait for the crowd to diminish. Soon after, Jerry and Melinda took her and her family back to the suite at a V.I.P. hotel on the outskirts of town. He didn’t want her to return to the courtroom for the verdict, so he demanded they leave the courthouse.

  Tressa paced while wringing her hands. “Jerry, I have to be there.”

  “I don’t advise it. Tressa, you must cooperate. For this plan to work, you have to trust me.”

  “I know. Waiting to see where my life is headed is damn hard.” The prosecutor hadn’t expected the jury to take long. Her mom sat on one side, her dad on the other. Her younger sister, Charlotte, sat across from her. “You did the right thing, sis.”
  Memories flooded her mind. Sam had wined and dined her, fed her fancy meals, took her on trips until the last weekend together. She had no way of knowing that he knew she’d only gone along with him to uncover more information. She had agreed to the weekend away, but she’d ended up with the ultimate betrayal against her.

  

  ---

  ❤ ❤  Thanks for stopping by today.  ❤ ❤

  Cover Credits: Cover design DusktilDawn Designs.

  Posted in Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series, Cover Reveal, New Release | 17 Comments | Tagged Arizona, Canyon Junction: Hearts in Love Series, cattleman, contemporary romance, Cover Reveal, cowboy, Finding Kimber, Full length series, Idaho, love story, New Release, rancher, Romance, starting over, western romance

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